Women Who Do: Female Disciples in the Gospels

by Holly J. Carey

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2023

Overview

Meet the women who followed Jesus even when the Twelve failed.

To be a disciple is to follow Jesus. And that requires action. But in the gospels, the disciples often falter. The Twelve even abandon Jesus at his crucifixion in many of the narratives. Yet it is female disciples who remain faithful to Jesus to the end. What do we make of this?

In Women Who Do, Holly J. Carey examines what it means to be a disciple—and contends that it’s the women who best embody discipleship in the gospels. Carey describes the expectations and social roles for women in first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish contexts. Then she offers a close reading of each of the four gospels, as well as Acts of the Apostles. What emerges is a cohesive narrative-critical case that the Twelve are not an equivalent group to the disciples. In fact, the Twelve are set as foils against the faithful, active, and often nameless disciples who populate the narratives—many of whom are women.

Women Who Do is essential reading for students and scholars seeking a fuller understanding of women’s roles in Jesus’s ministry. Carey’s argument not only clarifies the narrative of the gospels but also raises questions about how the church conceives of women’s leadership today.

Key Features

• Offers a close reading of each of the four gospels, as well as Acts of the Apostles
• Describes the expectations and social roles for women in first-century Greco-Roman and Jewish contexts
• Examines what it means to be a disciple

Contents

• Introduction
• 1. The World of Women in the First Century
• 2. Female Discipleship in the Gospel of Mark
• 3. Female Discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew
• 4. Female Discipleship in the Gospel of Luke
• 5. Female Discipleship in the Acts of the Apostles
• 6. Female Discipleship in the Gospel of John
• Conclusion

Product Details

• Title: Women Who Do: Female Disciples in the Gospels
• Author: Holly J. Carey
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Pages: 225
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. Gospels; Women in Christianity › History--Early church, ca. 30-600
• ISBNs: 9780802879158, 0802879152
• Resource ID: LLS:WMNWHDSCPLGSPLS
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-10-03T17:59:02Z

About Holly J. Carey

Holly J. Carey is professor of biblical studies and chair of the Biblical Studies Department at Point University.